Nutrition

Central Montana Head Start works jointly with the State of Montana and the Child and Adult Care Food Program to provide daily snacks and meals to the children. All snacks and meals must meet stringent guidelines and are all low in salt, low in sugar, low in fat, and high in nutrients.

Meals and snacks are all served “family style.” This means the children decide what and how much to eat. They are responsible for putting food on their own plates as well as for pouring their own glass of milk. While this seems challenging at first the children find great pride in completing these tasks for themselves. Adults encourage the children to try a wide variety of foods by modeling, offering guidance, and leading discussion about the foods available.

Each center has a cuisine manager. In order to become a cuisine manager, a staff member must be employed as a “Cook” for Central Montana Head Start for three years. Cuisine managers are trained in CACFP, ServSafe, and other various workshops to best enable them to meet the needs of the children and families we serve.